Breaking bread
The project combined theoretical and practical training in proven agricultural techniques used to grow peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant.
"My dream is to ensure that no vegetables from the fields of Yolu farmers are left uncollected or unused."
©FAO
Naile lives in a small Turkish rural town called Yolu, situated in the district of Suruç, Şanlıurfa province, a few kilometres from Syria. From afar, she used to watch her neighbours in Kobani, Syria, through the wire mesh of the border fence. With her neighbours she shared the Kurdish language and a love for the soil. However, when the war hit Kobani, hundreds of Syrian refugee families fled to her small town, resulting in tensions over cultural differences, resources and, of course, employment.
After her husband lost his job due to the increasing presence of an excess cheap workforce, Naile, who was pregnant at that time, had to seek employment in seasonal agriculture – where the daily rate for women is lower – in order to support her family.
Naile's life became very challenging. She had to juggle her agricultural work in greenhouses and fields with raising five children. At this point, she and her husband decided to rent a small patch of land in the village to grow vegetables. Unfortunately, they both lacked adequate experience and knowledge, and their experiment initially failed: the return on their investment was insufficient to meet basic needs, or to invest in fertilizers or pesticides.
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